Apart from being a source of transboundary haze, poorly regulated contract farming is trapping the small farmers of Myanmar’s Shan State in a cycle of overwhelming debt, land dispossession and environmental degradation.
Category: Thailand
The visual preservation of an early anti-dam struggle
In 1992, an environmental struggle between local communities and the government began in Si Saket province of Northeast Thailand, when the government built the 17-meter-high Rasi Salai Irrigation Dam with little transparency or discussion with local villagers. Blocking the flow of the Mun River flooded a vast area of land that the villagers had utilised […]
Germany assists Thailand to ‘go green’
Thailand agreed to adopt a circular economy and clean technology, as the country has environmental problems, especially with PM2.5, which need environmental friendly production to help reduce them.
Government nudge on Chiang Rai rail link
The planned double-track railway will run from Den Chai rail junction to Chiang Rai province, ending at the border town of Chiang Khong that stands on Mekong River bank facing Laos.
Thailand enforces strict laws to reduce smog in Bangkok and big cities
The governors of Bangkok and nearby provinces would limit the time of construction, the use of vehicles in congested urban zones and the activities that would create smoke.
Southeast Asia braces for trash dump as China enacts waste import ban
On January 1, China will no longer be accepting waste from other countries, with Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia likely to feel the brunt of the new policy.
Thai govt threatens to veto new Lao dam
“Iff we come to conclude that construction will have a damaging effect on the environment in Thailand, we will exercise our right as a member of the Mekong River Commission to stop the project.”
Waste-to-energy projects see official support, villager resistance
Government enthusiasm is tempered by fierce opposition from some villagers who complain the construction sites of some WTE projects are too close to communities and water sources.
Amid hazy skies, need for reform is clear
We thought we could push the government to act on an arguably life-or-death issue. But we were fighting against a mammoth organisation with the inertia factor of a large glacier.
Thai protests slow transition to renewables
Main problem is the country is “awash in excess electricity”. International norm is for electricity generation capacity to be about 115%, Thailand’s is around 140%.